![Makeropoly]()
by Krissy.Venosdale | Oct 11, 2015 | Create, Make
I used to have a wall in my classroom where I had the game “Castleopoly” hanging on the wall. I won’t go into what I used the game for, so how wrong I now feel I was for focusing so very much on bribing my students to “do the right thing,” that’s another post for another day. I woke up yesterday morning thinking about that game and I wondered, what if there were a maker version of Monopoly. So I made one… Makeropoly.
And now I’m trying to figure out how it could be used for some creative fun. A regular ol’ game of Monopoly is fun, but should this one be a traditional style Monopoly where players collect cards? McDonald’s style Monopoly game where you try to complete your gameboard by trying out the items on the cards? Instead of collecting properties, players try out the things they land on? Should the items on the cards be actual things that are available for players to use in the space?
Maybe to get of “Jail” aka “Makerspace” you have to draw a “Makerspace” card and create something.
I’m creating “Creative Challenge Cards” and 8 “Tool Box” Cards. Those will be fun, quick challenges to build, create, and use Design Thinking in a fun way.
So why am I sharing this when it’s not even a fully developed idea? Because I was hoping you would help. I’ve created a Google Doc where we can crowdsource our ideas for this game. In return? I’ll finish it up and package it as a printer friendly PDF and post it here for free use in your own school, home, or space…
by Krissy.Venosdale | Jun 10, 2015 | Create, Imagine, Make, Tinkering
I can still remember the satisfaction of printing a card on a dot-matrix when I was 10. And now? We can design, create, and laser cut. Acrylic, wood, metal. Cut the pieces, assemble your art. I had an idea for a hanging lamp and I wanted to see what I could find to help me figure out how I could possibly assemble it. A quick Google Search led me down a rabbit hole of creativity I may never escape… The Laser Cutter.
I think I have overlooked it’s power and undervalued it’s possibilities. I saw it as a fancy Exacto Knife and failed to recognize what it truly can do. I apologize, Laser Cutter. And all I can say now is, holy moly… possibilities indeed.
1.) Turn your drawing into an acrylic light up.
2.) Laser cut alphabet letters to use as stencils, stamps for clay, or even layer transparent plastic behind the wood and hang in the window for letters that let the sun shine through.
3.) Geometric patterns take on a whole new level of inspiration when you can design them and then cut them out of wood. Create ornaments, window decor, or even a wooden book cover for a classroom journal.
4.) Create a monument to represent a famous individual or place. The London Skyline below is just one possibility for design. The thought that goes into planning, measuring, designing? It’s math, science, language arts, and problem solving all rolled into one.
5.) Value creativity in a whole new way. When work comes out of the computer into a tangible product you can hold in your hand? You’ve just shared your genius with the world… and you know you are important. Shouldn’t all of our kids feel that?
Here are five pieces of work that inspired me, and I bet they will you, too.
Laser cut rocket by Instructables.
London Skyline from Inplas
Nike Quote on WeHeartIt
Steel Cut Swiss Cheese from The Laser Cutter Blog.
WOODOO from Andre Maat on Vimeo.
![Probably Something Awesome]()
by Krissy.Venosdale | May 22, 2015 | Create, Matters of Creativity, Out of the Box Learning
You know that feeling when you’re in a hot, stuffy elevator and you think, “Gosh, I just need some air.” It’s a terrible feeling. Stifling. Like you’re trapped and the walls feel small. It’s like being trapped in a box that is moving at a pace you cannot control. The doors open and you are so relieved that you can step off. Freedom. Fresh air, movement, and your own pace restored.
It’s just like learning. We’ve all been a student in the classroom that stifles us. I can remember it in Junior High. I watched the clock until my eyelids were heavy. Endless lectures about stuff I can no longer remember and long tests full of details that weren’t really about anything meaningful. Not my pace and the air always felt… stifling.
There are so many other ways to get from one floor to another… a fireman’s pole, a hot air balloon, a twisty slide, wings, or even giant suction cups on the side of the building.
It’s about possibilities. The kind we need more of in learning. What would happen if the doors opened, the box became filled with air and creativity? Probably something awesome.
But we’ll never know unless we try.
![Why The Maker Movement Matters]()
by Krissy.Venosdale | Apr 12, 2015 | Create, Imagine, Make, Maker Spaces, Out of the Box Learning, STEAM
I get caught up in things. Informercials. New gadgets. New shades of Sharpie. Every kid I’ve ever taught has said, “You say EVERYTHING is your “favorite thing.” It’s true. Life? It’s my favorite. I grew up, but my internal excitement level has stayed at a five year old’s level. So, I’ll just preface this post with that. I will also say that I’ve held off on writing this. Long enough to figure out if this whole “maker movement” was another “thing I love,” or more. It’s more. So much more.
1.) The Maker Movement is not about acronyms. Life is not an acronym. I’m so tired of the debates on #STEM, #STEAM, and now #STREAM. Let’s just call learning what it is… building connections with the world. There, the whole alphabet? Covered. The Maker Movement isn’t labeling or assigning acronyms. It’s just organically, well, moving. Like learning does.
2.) The Maker Movement isn’t about certified experts or expensive keynotes. You don’t need to be an expert. You need to be willing to take a risk. In life? It’s impossible to know everything. It’s also pointless to try. In the Maker Movement? It’s about the pure-heartedness of neverending learning. The kind where you are invigorated, challenged, humbled, and curious over and over again.
3.) The Maker Movement is built on open collaboration. Make something. Share it. Borrow from others. It’s not about selling or buying. It’s about doing and thinking. It’s about putting our heads together to solve problems and create. It’s what is going to solve those “problems of tomorrow we can’t even imagine yet.” It’s not about sitting alone, trying to bubble in one right answer. Because life? it’s not about that either.
4.) Life is messy. Making embraces that mess and turns it into possibilities. Endless possibilities that unlock parts of the imagination that otherwise gather dust.
5.) Creativity matters in the Maker Movement. In every single thing I’ve done in education, all roads have led to one place: Creativity. It’s what ignites my passion for teaching, learning, and life. Take that away from me? And a part of my soul starts to die, wither, and wilt like a plant without water. The Maker Movement reminds me that creating is a fountain that we can all continue to drink from, that provides the energy that a full life requires.
6.) The Maker Movement is what gifted education has been waiting for, too. Open ended inquiry, possibilities, creativity, imagination, and learning? It’s the stuff my gifted edcuation class was built on. Yes, everyone will say, it’s the stuff ALL classrooms should be built on. You are so right… if we made school more about this, we wouldn’t need labels, nor separate classrooms, we could focus on supporting needs of all students, in one awesome learning environment. Magical. We could “make” learning right. Pun intended.
10 years in a public school, 1 year in a private school, and 1 year in an independent school and what have I learned? Squelch creativity. Squelch learning. It doesn’t matter where you teach, lead, dream, or what your role is, the Maker Movement offers something amazing for your students, and for you. It’s about casting aside those plans you’ve made down to the minute and embracing larger goals. Let those goals unfold in the minds of your students and evolve into something better than what you imagined. Because really, everyday we are just a living, breathing iteration of ourselves from the day before. And that? It’s just about trying to improve. Let your students lead and you’ll see exactly what I am talking about. The Maker Movement matters because it’s about pure, authentic learning, problem solving, self-reflection, collaboration, creativity, and removes the limits from our bubble-tested curriculums and one-right-answer-lesson-plans. It matters because learning matters. And it’s time.
![A Playlist of Things I Discovered Today]()
by Krissy.Venosdale | Apr 9, 2015 | Create, Make, Out of the Box Learning
Today I spent the day at the Independent Schools Association Southwest Technology Conference and was lucky enough to hear Sylvia Martinez, co-author of Invent to Learn, as keynote, followed by a day of making, creating, and thinking about my role as Innovation Coordinator. I think it was the equivalent of a Super Bowl, if I were a pro-football player. The theme was Maker Movement. All I keep thinking is… we seriously are IN the most exciting time in education… RIGHT NOW. This is what learning is made of. It’s finally happening.
Sylvia reminded us, at the close of the keynote, “Making is not a shopping list or a special place… it’s a stance toward learning.” That stance? It’s what I’ve been waiting for in education, since I was a kid.
Even though it’s not about shopping, there are five things I enjoyed playing with today. I loved them because I could immediately imagine them in the hands of learners… and that? It’s exciting.
Cubelets: These little cubes snap together to make things. We made a robot that had a light sensor on it. The robot spun in circles and when the lights went out? The top lit up. These cubes offer learners a safe, exciting, and engaging way to explore, discover, and dream up inventions. And, best of all? There is a piece that allows you to attach Legos. That’s right, Legos.
WeDo Legos: Build Lego creations that move. Enough said. Imagine these moving parts on a Lego Wall.
MakeDo: Cardboard construction kit. Build something, design something else. They even have a great little saw for cutting cardboard. School needs more cardboard, NOT the kind that carry boxes of standardized tests, but the kind that carry possibilities and get filled with imagination.
Circuit Stickers: Create art that lights up, design a card that brightens someone else’s day, illuminate your soul with tiny LED’s, or just get these because you love making puns about lights. Paired with a roll of Copper tape, battery, and some creativity? Endless Possibilities.
TurtleArt.org: Explore programming and geometry by creating visuals with this awesome FREE program. Check out this gallery.
I know, I know, it’s not about the stuff. You could have all the stuff in the world, but if you don’t take time to explore, discover, and play? The stuff is useless. So today? I played. And tonight? I’m reminded what it’s all about. We could all use a little more playtime.
